• Fly fishing has been embraced as a way to help women recovering from breast cancer treatment. A group called Casting for Recovery has formed to offer retreats for women at various stages of treatment.

• A new Adelaide eye clinic at Flinders University in Adelaide’s southern suburbs, is dedicated to treating people with autism and making them feel comfortable with the examination experience.

News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the 5th of April 2016. Read by Rebecca Foster. Health News

A new Adelaide eye clinic is dedicated to treating people with autism and making them feel comfortable with the examination experience.

Adelaide mother Jane Burford said simple tasks such as going for an eye test could prove overwhelming for children such as her eight-year-old son Ned.

“Often when I take Ned to places we have to prepare and tell him ahead of time where we’re going so he doesn’t get anxious about it,” she said.

The clinic, at Flinders University in Adelaide’s southern suburbs, is carefully designed to cater for such needs.

“They actually send you a video so you can take a virtual tour of the place,” Ms Burford explained.

“I showed him that and by the time we got here he was very comfortable.”

Optometrist Paul Constable said eye issues were common in children with autism but went undiagnosed in up to 40 per cent of cases.

Dr Constable said correcting an autistic child’s vision could be life-changing for them.

The clinic’s resources include a visual timetable explaining how the appointment will work, and Dr Constable uses a high-tech auto-refractor to be able to test someone’s eyes without having to get too close to them, or ask too many questions.

The inspiration for the new clinic was born of Dr Constable’s personal experience.

“My child has autism and, as an optometrist, I really didn’t know where to go when he was diagnosed,” he said.

“A lot of the issues I faced I think a lot of other parents would face.”

Consultations at the clinic are fully covered by Medicare.

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